Thursday, 12 June 2014

Anyone who knows me or has
regularly perused my blog will be well aware that I’m a huge fan of the silent
comedy from the 1910s to 1930s. Of course this isn’t entirely true though. My love and
knowledge only extends as far as the two behemoths of the era, to Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Aside from the occasional foray into the likes of
Laurel and Hardy and non-Chaplin Keystone, my understanding is limited. For a
long time I’ve wanted to get a hold of some of the films of Harold Lloyd, the
man who probably came closest to Chaplin and Keaton both then and now.
Unfortunately, unlike my two comedy heroes, his oeuvre is harder to come by and
much more expensive. I’ve started then with what is in my opinion his best
known work; Safety Last! A film
famous for its iconic still of Lloyd hanging from a clock face several stories
up a skyscraper, I thought I’d start with the obvious and work my way back.

The movie opens very strongly
with a set up that seems to suggest that the lead character, named Harold Lloyd,
is behind bars and being visited by his sweetheart and a priest. In the
background, a hangman’s noose looms. As the camera zooms out though, we learn
that he’s merely behind a fence and is in fact awaiting the arrival of a train
that will take him to the big city in search of his fortune. Lloyd promises to
make good within the year in order that he and his girl (Mildred Davis) can
marry. The establishing scene expertly sets up the next sixty-five minutes by
introducing us to the characters and their motivations as well as giving us a
great sight gag. From then on, the film goes from strength to strength.